Ecosocial Coevolving in a Post-Industrial Suburb : Nature‑Based Solutions as an Urban Planning Tool in Pansio-Perno

Abstract

The ongoing environmental crisis poses significant challenges for future cities and profoundly affects the wellbeing of both humans and other species. Nature-based solutions (NBS) are increasingly promoted as responses to these challenges. This master’s thesis examines the ecosocial potential of NBS in urban planning in the socio-spatially segregated post-industrial suburb of Pansio-Perno in the City of Turku, Finland. Although the area contains a substantial amount of urban nature, its quality and weak integration into everyday environments do not sufficiently support residents’ wellbeing or social cohesion. At the same time, increasing land use pressures in post-industrial areas compel cities to reconsider dominant planning values and practices, as land use is one of the primary drivers of biodiversity loss. Accelerating nature degradation calls for a transformation of urban planning toward more regenerative forms of urbanism.

The thesis is based on an interdisciplinary literature review and a critical analysis of contemporary urban design paradigms, which together inform the development of a design framework. The research adopts the long-term coevolutionary potential of nature based solutions, framing post-industrial areas as opportunities for ecosocial recovery. Within this framework, the wellbeing of both humans and the rest of nature is supported by identifying vulnerabilities and needs as part of multi-benefit planning strategies. Drawing on posthumanist theory, non-human species are approached as interrelated stakeholders in the urban environment and planning process. The aim of the study is to explore how urban planning can actively produce and sustain ecological and social justice, and to develop concrete, context-based design strategies toward this goal, with particular attention to vulnerable local communities and the qualitative development of existing environments.

The thesis identifies that ecosocial NBS hold co-benefitial potential in strengthening existing communities and local networks. Particularly in suburban contexts, this potential lies in the equitable transformation of areas toward more resilient and flourishing communities. In socio-spatially segregated areas, the co-benefit capacity of NBS may emerge through enhancing everyday nature experiences, strengthening positive place identity, enabling long term community based activities and cocreation, as well as fostering more pleasant and multispecies just environments.